Razors (philosophy)

philosophical principle used to judge credibility of statements

analogy devised by Bertrand Russell

thumb|upright=1.3|alt=Pair of black swans swimming|Here are two black swans, but even with no black swans, "All swans are white" would still be shown falsifiable by "Here is a black swan"—it would still be a valid observation statement in the empirical language, even if empirically false.

philosophical adage stating "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity."

Simplicity is the state or quality of being simple. Something easy to understand or explain seems simple, in contrast to something complicated. Alternatively, as Herbert A. Simon suggests, something is simple or complex depending on the way we choose to describe it. In some uses, the label "simplicity" can imply beauty, purity, or clarity. In other cases, the term may suggest a lack of nuance or complexity relative to what is required.

model in cosmology

Epistemological razor regarding the burden of proof

making sure a classifier is based on observables instead of expediency or arbitrariness

principle or rule of thumb that allows one to eliminate unlikely explanations for a phenomenon

hypothesis added to a theory in order to save it from being falsified

famous phrase used by Isaac Newton in one of his essays

unnecessarily exotic diagnosis in medicine